I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Waiting for Mr. Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"We're well up with the times in Sussex." [VALL] </h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKttwWVYsue-X5NXM2DYtnTiT1JXyatqwjqcBYpJGt_L6kXtPlyTit4ziMW52N8vqrTxhpEi0MfGmQe2X4izSdBLACXRx-_L0UnbVXEnX_GpJkFCou6u9eHwX74IB3epq4diD7odRyN-8B/s1600/Ian+McKellen+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ian McKellen as an elderly Sherlock Holmes in "Mr. Holmes"" border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKttwWVYsue-X5NXM2DYtnTiT1JXyatqwjqcBYpJGt_L6kXtPlyTit4ziMW52N8vqrTxhpEi0MfGmQe2X4izSdBLACXRx-_L0UnbVXEnX_GpJkFCou6u9eHwX74IB3epq4diD7odRyN-8B/s1600/Ian+McKellen+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" title="Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/07/first-look-at-ian-mckellen-as-sherlock.html" target="_blank">As has been reported here</a> last year year, Ian McKellen has been cast as the elderly Sherlock Holmes in the movie adaptation of Mich Cullen's excellent pastiche, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400078229/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400078229&linkCode=as2&tag=theconblo04-20&linkId=NIPL4QDDSYGQPZBH%22" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a> </i>(I promise I'll have a book review done soon.).<br />
<br />
While we've seen <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2706928/Sir-Ian-McKellen-sports-hat-waistcoat-sips-hot-drink-London-set-Mr-Holmes.html" target="_blank">some press photos from the set</a>, but we've treated to a little behind the scenes tweet from Mr McKellen as Mr Holmes.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meeting the locals while filming <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MrHolmes?src=hash">#MrHolmes</a> in East Sussex. <a href="http://t.co/PXRRpgSy9p">pic.twitter.com/PXRRpgSy9p</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen/status/509722176954462208">September 10, 2014</a></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And more recently:<br />
<br />
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
First photo from my upcoming film MR HOLMES, with brilliant young actor Milo Parker who plays Roger. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MrHolmes?src=hash">#MrHolmes</a> <a href="http://t.co/wI74fO4vA5">pic.twitter.com/wI74fO4vA5</a><br />
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen/status/555525759708962817">January 15, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center>
<br />
Filming has concluded and the film is now in post-production phase. It is expected to be released during the Berlin Film Festival in February 2015.<br />
<br />
What are your expectations for the film and its presentation of a nonagenarian Sherlock Holmes?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Waiting for Mr. Holmes

"We're well up with the times in Sussex." [VALL] As has been reported here last year year, Ian McKellen has been cast ...

+ Read more »

by Tac Anderson

Horowitz's Moriarty Is an Ingenious Thriller

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"Sit down, and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm." [EMPT]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfvbiGuHytZkQcRXykCVpII6uynbcnax6TIMbSizHHAx7yPdm8r4IlmRBlmxUyJ7k2nTm3O9mZg4n-AnTcICASni6qGBhhpzi4t9TjvXHVVr4SsigXXg2IOh9DxPBp4PSVG-fMLlDjMU8/s1600/Holmes+Moriarty+Reichenbach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfvbiGuHytZkQcRXykCVpII6uynbcnax6TIMbSizHHAx7yPdm8r4IlmRBlmxUyJ7k2nTm3O9mZg4n-AnTcICASni6qGBhhpzi4t9TjvXHVVr4SsigXXg2IOh9DxPBp4PSVG-fMLlDjMU8/s1600/Holmes+Moriarty+Reichenbach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>R</b></span>eliable narrators are a rare breed, a fact that many of Dr. Watson’s readers will endorse with a knowing grumble.  That’s why we greet gladly the first-person voice who kicks off Anthony Horowitz’s <i>Moriarty</i>, (<a href="http://amzn.to/YQc366">Amazon US</a> |<a href="http://amzn.to/1pEVJeI"> Amazon UK</a>) by asking "Does anyone really believe what happened at the Reichenbach Falls?" Pinkerton's Frederick Chase is in Switzerland five days after the final struggle between Holmes and Moriarty. He begins his tale by modestly suggesting he may well fall short of Watson’s standards of accuracy and entertainment. Watson’s standards of accuracy? Now, wait a minute. That passing reference should be enough to put the cognoscenti immediately, and as it turns out, appropriately, on guard.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">O</span></b>n the surface, Chase is following the trail of a planned alliance between Moriarty and a mysterious American criminal mastermind. But as you might suspect, there are wheels within wheels in this imaginative tale, and we soon find ourselves back in Baker Street, or at least around the corner from Baker Street. While Chase may seem out of his depth in what he describes as his first visit to Europe, Scotland Yard’s Athelney Jones is not, and we are soon rattling through the streets of 1891 London in pursuit of shadowy villains.  </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>G</b></span>ood Sherlockians may lament Holmes's absence from the scene.  Happily, the inspector from <i>The Sign of the Four</i> has learned a thing or two from his encounters with the great detective and is eager to demonstrate his new-found gifts. He reads much of the Pinkerton man's background and habits at a glance. Both Chase and the reader soon feel they are in good hands, and Chase begins to slip into a mode that might almost be called Watsonian.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">E</span></b>ager to pick up the trail of their opponent, Jones somewhat curiously lets Chase, a Bostonian working in New York, impersonate the recently-deceased Moriarty to make contact with the American gang. The critical reader may reasonably wonder about such small details.  As Chase suggests in his early dismantling of Watson’s account from "The Final Problem," these events may lend themselves to more sinister interpretations.<br />
<br />
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">R</span></b>eliably, however, Anthony Horowitz weaves the cinematic and well-paced tale one might expect from the screenwriter who created <i>Foyle’s War</i>, <i>Midsomer Murders</i>, and much more.  </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOlE9DAYzLkAJiKbjsevVdWgwwNzHTHatS8hcl8GPN2PFjahYYNqdfH2Ab4Igtfv23tK3iVjVfLSrJIuhso9ecxE4vvcu3dMQmjn3V67eyq1VfccyHQgcncudZpXFJ2KekZQ3LKdOxUoc/s1600/Horowitz+-+Moriarty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOlE9DAYzLkAJiKbjsevVdWgwwNzHTHatS8hcl8GPN2PFjahYYNqdfH2Ab4Igtfv23tK3iVjVfLSrJIuhso9ecxE4vvcu3dMQmjn3V67eyq1VfccyHQgcncudZpXFJ2KekZQ3LKdOxUoc/s1600/Horowitz+-+Moriarty.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">A</span></b>merican gangsters have shaken up the London underworld from time to time, but none more so than the brutal and unprincipled gang whose trail Jones and Chase are following. We meet hit men and hooligans, kidnappers and assassins who imperil much of the city in new waves of violence. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">C</span></b>onspirators and scalawags from other cases are elegantly re-introduced, adding to the chaos of a London underworld turned upside down. Along with other elements familiar to readers of Watson's chronicles, including an ingenious coded message, these familiar characters make us feel right at home.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>K</b></span>eeping us on the edge of our seats is no easy feat, and Horowitz weaves in pursuits, cliffhangers and great escapes a-plenty. Along the way the two men develop a friendship,  and we learn something of Jones's home life.  For a time it even seems possible for the inspector to become history’s second consulting detective.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">R</span></b>especting the time period, Horowitz is scrupulous with details. We learn early on that Chase is composing this account on a Remington Model Two typewriter, which was introduced in 1878 and sold through the 1890s. The requisite broughams, hansoms, and odd corners of London appear in crisp descriptions.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>O</b></span>rbiting many of Holmes’s cases were illustrious clients, a tradition that continues here as we meet Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the American president and ambassador to the Court of St. James.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Y</b></span>ears ago S.S. Van Dine and others composed various rules for detective stories, chief among them that the author must play fair, put all the clues in plain sight, and give the reader an equal opportunity to solve the mystery.  The reader, of course, is supposed to be outwitted in the end, admiring the author’s ingenuity as the tale comes to a close. Horowitz’s ending indeed demonstrates considerable ingenuity, and an epilogue of sorts suggests several of these characters may be moving on to other adventures.   </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">D</span></b>epend upon it.  We have not heard the last of the cast of <i>Moriarty</i>, or its accomplished author.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thebakerstree-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0062377183&asins=0062377183&linkId=RKXN7EGKNZKHTVQ4&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>     <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thebakstrblo-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=140910947X&asins=140910947X&linkId=IN2PMJ44VZ7AT6FT&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>

Horowitz's Moriarty Is an Ingenious Thriller

"Sit down, and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm." [EMPT] R eliable narrators are a rare breed, a f...

+ Read more »

by Third Pillar

The Great Escape Room

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"let us escape from this weary workaday world" [RETI]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDu-r_DmSLwbqnlXrVjwMIvVs6T9gw4f8eoaOxxGbgk5mI74AsSxoIwQr8Qp3wPxk1ph0IcH1omPnPk7WQyu1iBiQgvkRrREXRMIbE6uG8B1eRJpZIHN43cgVrky9ekhDCU37dCHlLxvZ/s1600/The+Great+Escape+Room+-+header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDu-r_DmSLwbqnlXrVjwMIvVs6T9gw4f8eoaOxxGbgk5mI74AsSxoIwQr8Qp3wPxk1ph0IcH1omPnPk7WQyu1iBiQgvkRrREXRMIbE6uG8B1eRJpZIHN43cgVrky9ekhDCU37dCHlLxvZ/s1600/The+Great+Escape+Room+-+header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There are a new series of amusement centers being opened around the USA called <a href="http://thegreatescaperoom.com/" target="_blank">The Great Escape Room</a> and they offer a variety of amusing "Problems" for solution by groups.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At present, Centers are open in Orlando and Miami, Florida and in Royal Oak, Michigan.  New centers will be opening soon in Washington, D.C.  and Tampa, Florida and plans are underway for centers in Chicago, Illinois, Grand Rapids, Michigan  and other sites as well. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Centers consist of a selection of game "Rooms," each of which offers a problem in observation, cooperation and logic to the group admitted to the room.  Each group is made up of ten or more persons, selected beforehand by agreement or chosen from arrivals at the time the room opens.  Each group is accompanied by an on-site monitor who will present the problem and provide occasional guidance or comments. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-M5T6RGqFbsdVDwjwg_QGMe7GK-nTaa8U0DQqQvz4GtnkN9ZU9j06061vrY28dqs5JnNtQCZ7MBMXT8_LhewTZR2ePJj-iWp1cYtTQeGhxvJm4wBPriK9-VXNuaL2BFHMjrD1bx6VhA6C/s1600/The+Great+Escape+Room+group.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-M5T6RGqFbsdVDwjwg_QGMe7GK-nTaa8U0DQqQvz4GtnkN9ZU9j06061vrY28dqs5JnNtQCZ7MBMXT8_LhewTZR2ePJj-iWp1cYtTQeGhxvJm4wBPriK9-VXNuaL2BFHMjrD1bx6VhA6C/s1600/The+Great+Escape+Room+group.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Each group is allowed only one hour to solve the problem successfully and to discover how to exit the room.  So far, only about 20% of groups have succeeded in leaving the rooms before the hour is<br />
up, and the fastest time in doing so is 37 minutes, 20 seconds. Clearly, the problems presented are simple.<br />
<br />
The first room made available in all new centers is "The Library (Sherlock's Study)" and others are added as the traffic and site construction warrant.  The current problem offered is to evaluate whether the entering group have the talents and intelligence needed by "The Great Detective" to aid him in his coming conflict with "The Professor." According to the site:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Put your skills of deductive reasoning to the test and see if you can be selected as an apprentice for the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is an eclectic collector of items from around the world. Although they may seem random, in Holmes’ cunning mind, they all have a purpose. It is your task to unravel the mystery set before you and join <i>The League of the Masters of Elementary Deduction</i>.</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Other rooms present other problems. As rooms are added to each center, the same problem will be presented in similar rooms at each location.  As time goes on, it is planned gradually to replace problems with different scenarios at all similar rooms.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrhsadG7k5ZBdPbd9iJPgORqv4YBh2jgRHuJDJSXOcAt2NA_jY-o8Fn6ZkjTW7wbgX7998QNkXNscMq4Wqw3jILd_F2DF-JSX-lA_y2cj2uwxKH4OyX6I_gm1fwrGbrhSveQNJ4yLl5cL/s1600/The+Great+Escape+Room.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrhsadG7k5ZBdPbd9iJPgORqv4YBh2jgRHuJDJSXOcAt2NA_jY-o8Fn6ZkjTW7wbgX7998QNkXNscMq4Wqw3jILd_F2DF-JSX-lA_y2cj2uwxKH4OyX6I_gm1fwrGbrhSveQNJ4yLl5cL/s1600/The+Great+Escape+Room.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The current "Library" scenario seems made to fit the talents and interests of Sherlockian groups and management have indicated <b><u>their willingness to keep track of times achieved by various groups</u></b>, especially if those groups have common interests. This sounds like a perfect outing for your local Sherlockian group - particularly the <a href="http://ppofl.net/" target="_blank">Pleasant Places of Florida</a> and the <a href="http://www.amateurmendicantsociety.org/" target="_blank">Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit</a>! And with further rooms coming online, <b><i>some intrepid Sherlockian should work with the management of The Great Escape Room to see which Sherlockian society has the fastest escape time</i></b>.<br />
<br />
Discounts are available for planned group outings (minimum, 10 people) and for weekday scheduled attempts. Most sites are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday with attempts scheduled at 2-hour intervals. Further, most sites are also open one weekday evening as well.<br />
<br />
You can find The Great Escape Room on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thegreatescaperoom" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GreatEscapeRoom" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and of course at <a href="http://thegreatescaperoom.com/">thegreatescaperoom.com</a>.<br />
<br />
Happy escaping!<br />
<br />
[<i>A tip of the deerstalker to Philip Jones, who first shared this nugget on HOUNDS-L.</i>]<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br /></div>

The Great Escape Room

"let us escape from this weary workaday world" [RETI] There are a new series of amusement centers being opened around the USA...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Saturday Matinee: Sherlock Holmes and the Sleeping Cardinal (1931)

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"the cardinal points" [MUSG]</h4>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHAyGEql7o4mHB850ZsV3tZjnXNSVLyXGUHII-VU49aia15QI32S-yhwI_zHZ-8gkdx0q-7dSk30jx5gWI1hM5l8nREyhR8VhKPs7KrzvFQKqhBlGX_aJYXGeL5zXwrFUn_oqBkXGTWVy/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour+lobby+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour aka Sherlock Holmes and the Sleeping Cardinal" border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHAyGEql7o4mHB850ZsV3tZjnXNSVLyXGUHII-VU49aia15QI32S-yhwI_zHZ-8gkdx0q-7dSk30jx5gWI1hM5l8nREyhR8VhKPs7KrzvFQKqhBlGX_aJYXGeL5zXwrFUn_oqBkXGTWVy/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour+lobby+card.jpg" title="Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
[<i>Editor's note: This is a first in a series of reviews by David Lee Andrews, cross-posted from <a href="http://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/2014/11/sherlock-holmes-and-sleeping-cardinal.html#.VMHQo_ldWSr" target="_blank">Comic Book and Movie Reviews</a></i>]<br />
<br />
Before Rathbone and Bruce donned the mantel of Sherlock and Watson, Wontner and Fleming thought they'd have a go. And they did, in the following 81-minute movie made in 1931. It was Directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starred Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Jane Welsh, with Norman McKinnel.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Story</h3>
I know this may sound rather far-fetched, Doctor Watson (Ian Fleming). Yet for quite some time now I've had a hunch that one solitary figure is behind most of the crimes in our city.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly4ZpigHHIJsXJMw-FR__tsu8uMSHtyjAwzGHNtzVa0Hzx6cSy_ubzny1utsSTDem5h3t_vWjjvCP4HlsqbdNmNF4ol1eRb3jIhoYLibvMesnsSZK_zez5E8hERxcwYKTU4VjuzOiqndq/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Moriarty faces off in Sherlock Holmes and the Sleeping Cardinal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly4ZpigHHIJsXJMw-FR__tsu8uMSHtyjAwzGHNtzVa0Hzx6cSy_ubzny1utsSTDem5h3t_vWjjvCP4HlsqbdNmNF4ol1eRb3jIhoYLibvMesnsSZK_zez5E8hERxcwYKTU4VjuzOiqndq/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour.jpg" title="Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour - Moriarty" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes. I'm not pulling your leg, old bean. I'd say a good example of this would have to be that bank robbery reported to me earlier in the day by Inspector Lestrade (Philip Hewland). You know. That one where the perpetrators got away with a printing press whilst one of the security guards perished in the act.<br />
<br />
And as for another of these crimes, well, do you remember telling me about Kathleen Adair's (Jane Welsh) older brother, Watson? What's his name again? Yes. That's the chap. That unscrupulous card-shark called Ronald (Leslie Perrins). Well, somehow, somewhere, and sometime, I have a sneaking suspicion he will meet the mastermind behind this bank robbery, and when he does, he will also get himself into a lot of trouble.<br />
<br />
That's most probably why what transpires next gets rather deductive when a shrouded figure enters the room and says to me, "Hello, Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner). My name is Professor Moriarty (Norman McKinnel). Pleased to meet you." As Mrs. Hudson (Minnie Rayner) has something to say - it's never easy keeping crime at bay - a card-shark takes a disastrous shuffle - and at the end of the day, a bad man looses out in the eventful kerfuffle.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n3AaYy0iosjfsOR6K_8qtxxFOIIUKwA0yFLe3IS2148tvQGyfPw64dEbhWTxjOeKaZjKT9ZvWenapD2o6H9quezPT7_axu3ejATvxXB8gvWoKe4GsfeedilW0r_Rda-L8mq7OEE6IKeq/s1600/Arthur+Wontner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Arthur Wontner starring as Sherlock Holmes in The Sleeping Cardinal" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n3AaYy0iosjfsOR6K_8qtxxFOIIUKwA0yFLe3IS2148tvQGyfPw64dEbhWTxjOeKaZjKT9ZvWenapD2o6H9quezPT7_axu3ejATvxXB8gvWoKe4GsfeedilW0r_Rda-L8mq7OEE6IKeq/s1600/Arthur+Wontner.png" title="Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
The Review:</h3>
If you're the type of Sherlock Holmes fan who has no qualms about watching a great mystery that appears rather dated upon the screen, then look no further, my friends, because <i>The Sleeping Cardinal</i> is definitely a film for you.<br />
<br />
Essentially it is one of those adventures that has it all, and it has it all in spades. It has an air of genuine authenticity about it that I'm sure Conan Doyle would be proud of. It has a great story-line that unfolds itself in a gradual manner, without making anything seem either too convenient or too staged by proxy. And on top of all that, every single one of the main players has some time to shine, including the mostly forgotten bit-player, Mrs Hudson.<br />
<br />
In fact, one of my most favorite scenes was the one where she was cleaning up after Sherlock and Watson, and starts moaning to them both as to why they don't tidy up after themselves. I also loved that sequence where she argued with her next door neighbour's daughter, plus how she was utilized at the very end of this piece. And the reason why I say this, my friends, is because I felt her inclusion added a very down to earth quality to these proceedings. Almost rooting the entire story-line into some sort of natural pretext.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDpBwaqfebHM3tXQsbZPrk4o9xE77ibi-J1Qqic4CFavro6jMu5sHDyIEaGfzPx2R5gjGVXYn3X7N-nRgp7jem_2p6X3NEkuBQy50FrerfMjlaC0BL3kdbavLQghyzgOh1YCKaLLrVb6P/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour+Mrs+Hudson.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mrs. Hudson giving Holmes and Watson a scolding" border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDpBwaqfebHM3tXQsbZPrk4o9xE77ibi-J1Qqic4CFavro6jMu5sHDyIEaGfzPx2R5gjGVXYn3X7N-nRgp7jem_2p6X3NEkuBQy50FrerfMjlaC0BL3kdbavLQghyzgOh1YCKaLLrVb6P/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour+Mrs+Hudson.PNG" title="Mrs. Hudson cleans up in Sherlock Holmes Fatal Hour" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Now please don't get me wrong. Mrs Hudson isn't at the very heart of this movie. If anything, what's at the heart of this movie is Sherlock's introduction to Moriarty, as well as illustrating -- once again -- how he and Watson are a brilliant-brilliant double act. A double act, I might add, that is one part logical, one part warm, and one part incrementally challenged.<br />
<br />
A good illustration of this can be found nearing the end of this film, when Sherlock Holmes starts blathering on about one thing or another, seemingly making himself comes across like a blithering old fool. But of course, Holmes being Holmes, nothing he does throughout the duration of this movie is done in a foolish capacity. And this is highlighted at the very end of it, when he eventually explains to Watson why he acted in the way he did before.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe_4Q8mf7PRkuImQTPc8-Oj2eQoV0puYUOySW2_kss1A7sZeJuTZF3l1KXsBgTwvpCxQSYDVLMvT-A8LXlEGONdc1XlTeq0B137XjXmVGczE6n5yvjFYRigZ6MLAy4Aa7_wSRrcRBygQg/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe_4Q8mf7PRkuImQTPc8-Oj2eQoV0puYUOySW2_kss1A7sZeJuTZF3l1KXsBgTwvpCxQSYDVLMvT-A8LXlEGONdc1XlTeq0B137XjXmVGczE6n5yvjFYRigZ6MLAy4Aa7_wSRrcRBygQg/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Fatal+Hour-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As a matter of fact I thought this particular nuance was very commendable on Arthur's portrayal of Holmes, because it does make sense within the confines of this tale, whilst making me wonder why he isn't mentioned more often when a Sherlock Holmes project is stated in the press.<br />
<br />
Anyway. That's a subject for another day, dear reader. As I'm sure by now you got the basic gist of what I thought about this marvelous murder mystery. The tale was a solid one. The actors were on point. And even though the production values weren't the best I've ever seen, still, it could've been worse.<br />
<br />
<br />
Just look at the following cinematic facts, Ha!<br />
<ol>
<li>'Julius Hagen Productions' first released this adventure in England on the exact same month the first Bela Lugosi <i>Dracula</i> movie was released. It was in February, 1931. </li>
<li>Loosely translated, this project was entitled <i>The King Of The Shadows</i> in Italy, and when it was shown in America four months later, is was given the alternate title, <i>The Fatal Hour</i>, as seen in the visuals above. </li>
<li>The majority of this movie was shot at Twickenham Film Studios, situated within the English county of Middlesex. </li>
<li>One of the taglines used to promote this picture was: 'Read by millions: The World Greatest Detective'. </li>
<li>This flick was limply based on two Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: "The Adventure of the Empty House," published in 1903 and "The Final Problem," published in 1893. </li>
<li>For many years it was believed that this production was lost in the archives, yet it was eventually discovered in an unnamed location situated somewhere within the United States. </li>
<li>While I'm on the subject of lost films, according to legend, this one is an adaptation of one of the very first Sherlock Holmes films ever made. It was developed in 1905 and called <i>Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, starring 'Bronco Billy' Anderson as the title character. And yes, it is still presumed lost. </li>
<li>After this mystery murdered a monkey, Arthur Wontner starred in the crime-drama, <i>A Gentleman of Paris</i>; Ian Fleming starred in the next Sherlock Holmes movie, <i>The Missing Rembrandt</i>; and Jane Welsh starred in the film short <i>Two Crowded Hours</i>.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2Jrh46NBiAs207upaMbIDINXu8xSKEYgSjWSzF5I_NCJAFj0_RXodmYJMpkxv-9l5aNU_8p_UGqPYGZ5X7qLcYKrPmiTSqgzjq6p8wVX4N1XejSpDnMR0Ib25gw4NiO11SHlHcgJC2rY/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Sleeping+Cardinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2Jrh46NBiAs207upaMbIDINXu8xSKEYgSjWSzF5I_NCJAFj0_RXodmYJMpkxv-9l5aNU_8p_UGqPYGZ5X7qLcYKrPmiTSqgzjq6p8wVX4N1XejSpDnMR0Ib25gw4NiO11SHlHcgJC2rY/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Sleeping+Cardinal.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Overall I'd say <i>The Sleeping Cardinal</i> was one hell of a great murder mystery for any Sherlock Holmes fan. The style seemed very authentic for its time, and in a roundabout way, it does tell of Holmes's first meeting with Moriarty. What's more, the characterizations were spot on, and as push comes to shove, I say, old chap, this is one splendid slice of Sherlockian cinema.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Rating: A-</h3>
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thebakerstree-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00772GQ02&asins=B00772GQ02&linkId=Y5JTN3HZGCDY3KCM&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><br />
<br />